Master of Lust

69  Finally some introductions [1]

Chapter - 69

As the creepy purple fog kept coming after the henchmen, the old man had a tough time finding Rick in the thick fog. He couldn't see the young guy, but he could hear Rick's voice from inside the fog.

"You're not dead yet?" The old man was really surprised and kind of couldn't believe it. As he watched his men scream and crawl in the horrific mist in front of him, he thought the fog would get everyone. But Rick's voice almost scared the shit out of him. He said it with a rough tone, like he couldn't quite believe it.

After a while, the voice of the old man's henchmen faded away in the background. The forest became quiet, and the old man lost track of his men.

Then, Rick's voice came from the mist, and it had a teasing and kind of mocking tone. "Alive and kicking, old man," he said with a smirk. "It takes more than your lackeys and a little fog to take me down."

"Bet you're surprised, huh? Your plans didn't work out the way you thought," Rick teased the old man.

"What on earth did you do?" The old man sounded seriously annoyed as he asked, "You even got Bhediya, my right-hand guy. Why'd you do that?" He was pretty angry and trying to figure out the situation.

Rick couldn't resist getting under the old man's skin a bit more. "Bhediya? What kind of name is that? Seriously, I don't have any impression of that that guy."

"But that Gruff guy, Oh man, he really left quite an impression. Look at that rock behind you, what a mess he made, didn't he? And as for your men, they got a taste of their own medicine." He was sort of making fun of the situation, which didn't help the old man's growing frustration.

"You should be dead too. How are you still alive? My men... they're all gone." The old man couldn't stop himself from asking. It all happened just so fast in front of his eyes, and before he knew it, everyone was gone.

Rick's response was swift and laced with a dark sense of humor. "Well, I'd tell you, but then if I tell you my secrets. I am afraid, I would have to kill you. Are you willing to take that risk?"

The old man's voice trembled with a mixture of anger and confusion, but he did not ask any further. Instead, he asked about something else, "And what was that ghostly thing that showed up out of nowhere and disappeared before I could even see it? What trickery is this?" He demanded an explanation.

Rick chuckled, the sound echoing through the mist. "Oh, just a little surprise I had up my sleeve. You see, old man, you're not the only one with tricks. And I'm not afraid to use them."

11:25

The old man's patience had worn thin, and his voice quivered with rage. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? Taunting me, mocking me."

With his tone cocky and playful, Rick spoke, "Can you blame me? You were so sure of your power and control, and now you're stuck dealing with a purple mist. Life has a funny  way of flipping things around, doesn't it?"

The old man was getting more and more impatient and tried to get back in charge. "You might have some tricks, kid, but you're still caught in that mist. What's your plan here?" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rick spoke confidently, sounding pretty smug. "My plan, old man, is to ensure you don't leave this forest with my head as a trophy on a pike. I've faced worse odds than this, and I'll keep on surviving." And of course, Rick was bluffing his way out.

The old man was fuming with anger and frustration. He thought this would be an easy win, but now he was all caught up in unexpected problems. "You might have got this round, kid, but remember my words – I'll track you down. And when I do, you'll regret ever crossing paths with me. I will make you regret it."

And as he threatened the old man, his greed still burning, cautiously approached the expansive purple mist. The purple mist, which had ceased its advance and now formed a formidable barrier, encasing Rick and the girl in an impenetrable shroud. It felt as if the mist had created a massive, invisible cage, isolating them from the world outside.

Worried that Rick might escape with the girl without him noticing, the old man hurriedly walked around the mist, his eyes darting everywhere, trying to spot any movement. He really wanted to get things back under his control and make sure he had the girl.

But when he looked, there was no sign of the girl or Rick. It was like they'd disappeared into thin air. The old man had miscalculated the situation, and now he was in a tough spot, and it was his own doing.

"Hey, boy!" The old man yelled, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation, "Where are you? Don't think you're not getting away from me."

From inside the purple mist, Rick's voice came out, sounding calm and collected. "Don't bother me, old man. I've got stuff to deal with in here."

Finally, the old man let out a sigh, his brain working overtime to figure out a solution. None of his tough talk was getting through, so he decided to change his approach. He was ready to try negotiation, hoping to appeal to Rick's self-interest.

"Listen, boy," he started, "You know I want the girl, and I promise you,  I will take her with me no matter what. But I don't  want to drag it any longer. And for that, I'm willing to make a deal. If you let me have her, I'll make it worth your while."

Rick's curiosity was piqued, "Oh, now you want to talk? Okay, spill it, what's your offer, old man?"

The old man didn't waste any time and laid out his plan, "Boy, I've got money and connections. I can offer you a deal – one million dollars. Cash, cold, hard cash. You can do whatever you want with it. And all you have to do is just let the girl go."

Rick's voice got all thoughtful, and he acted like he was thinking about it, "Well, old man, I do have a weakness for greenbacks. One million dollars, you say? That's quite an offer I am not going to lie."

"You certainly know how to get my attention, old man. But let's sweeten the deal a bit, shall we?" Rick said looking at the girl, "I am sure the pretty lady here must have something to say to me."

And sure enough, in the hushed tones of a whispered confession, the girl approached Rick and, without a second thought, spoke, " I will give you $2,000,000. Double of what he is giving," It was an offer she felt was worth every penny to save her life.

"Oh... Did you hear that old man? The lady here is offering me a whooping two million dollars. What do you think about that? Isn't the lady generous?"  Rick, maintaining his sense of humor, promptly relayed the girl's generous offer to the old man. And the old man's frown deepened, knowing that he had been outbid.

"I will give you three million dollars," Gritting his teeth and feeling the pressure of the negotiation, the old man offered a substantial increase, bumping his offer even further. It was a significant sum, but as soon as he uttered the amount, the girl interjected again, this time speaking loud enough for both Rick and and the old man to hear.

"I will give you double of whatever this sick bastard will offer," the girl declared. The old man's face twisted in frustration, realizing that in a battle of wealth, he could not outdo the girl's determination. The game had shifted in her favor.

Desperate to gain an edge and aware that no matter what, but the old man could never fight against the girl when money mattered. So the old man decided to take a different approach. He got this wicked grin on his face, raised an eyebrow, and asked a tempting question, "What about women? The girl can't offer you that, can she?"

Rick, as clever as ever, didn't back down and replied with a teasing tone, "Oh, you're upping the ante, old man. But let me be clear – when you say 'women,' are we talking about one woman or a bunch of them? Because, let's face it, $3 million for just one woman, no matter who she is, well, that's a bit too much, don't you think? I'm not that much of a fool."

"But before that, did you notice something interesting?" Rick spoke, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"What is it?" But the old man could not help but  sound anxious when he heard Rick's question.

"It's not that huge of a deal, but... I got involved in your business, and I don't even know you folks," Rick sheepishly said.

"..."

"..."

"Mind telling me what's the mess I have spread? And your names at at well." Rick asked.

"Of course, if you don't mind. You know... "Privacy" and that shit..."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The old man and the girl yelled at the same time. Probably for the first and last time, they were actually  on the same page.

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[A/N: Do vote, leave a comment, send me golden tickets and bring up some gifts. Also, don't forget to read my other story, 'The Devil's Harem'.]

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